The world’s largest aircraft, Roc, developed by Stratolaunch, has set a new record during its second test flight carrying a hypersonic vehicle.
Roc took off from the Mojave Air and Space Port in southeastern California and landed back at the same location after 6 hours at 2:51 PM local time on January 13, which is 5:51 AM on January 14 in Hanoi. Stratolaunch representatives stated that the aircraft reached a maximum altitude of 6,860 meters.
The Roc transport aircraft carrying the hypersonic vehicle Talon-A during a test flight in California. (Video: Stratolaunch).
In addition to being Roc’s longest flight to date, this test also marked the first time the aircraft ventured outside the Mojave Desert, the company added.
To date, Roc has completed a total of 9 flights, but this was only the second time it carried the hypersonic vehicle Talon-A. The first flight occurred on October 28, 2021, lasting over 5 hours and reaching a maximum altitude of 7,000 meters.
Testing with Talon-A is laying the groundwork for the deployment of Stratolaunch’s air-launched hypersonic vehicle, which is expected to begin later this year.
“Stratolaunch’s development team continues to make progress on the testing schedule, and it’s thanks to their hard work that we are closer than ever to dropping and launching the hypersonic vehicle Talon-A from Roc,” emphasized Stratolaunch CEO and Chairman Zachary Krevor in a statement. “Carefully assessing the conditions will provide data to mitigate risks and ensure that Talon-A can be deployed smoothly and safely in future tests.”
Simulation of Talon-A in flight. (Photo: Stratolaunch)
Stratolaunch was founded in 2011 by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen to launch airborne vehicles into space from the atmosphere. The company is developing a series of Talon prototypes to test hypersonic flight at speeds of up to Mach 6 (7,408 km/h).
Talon-A measures 8.5 meters in length and weighs 2,700 kg, capable of taking off from a runway or being deployed in the air via the Roc transport aircraft. Roc is the largest aircraft in the world, with a wingspan of up to 117 meters, longer than a football field.
